My little "Buddie" is 11 weeks old. I have had him a week. ( originally thought he was 8 weeks old when I picked him up)
I am trying to get him to eat because he lost 8 grams in two days after I got him. As told in other threads, he is on 4 meds a day, one that makes him sick every other time when he takes it. He does seem to be tolerating it more now.

I started feeding him outside the cage on a washcloth to encourage him to eat. When I got him he had not eaten any people food, only seeds and pellets. Well, after a week, he still will not eat inside his cage. He waits for me to take him out of the cage and set a washcloth on top of his cage. He is finally eating without me sitting beside of him the whole time, but I would love for him to eat out of his little bowls in the cage. He lost weight when I first got him and still has not gained up to 90 grams that he weighed when I got him at 10 weeks. He now weighs 85 grams. ( gained three of the grams he lost)
Should I keep feeding him outside of the cage until he gets through with all his meds and starts gaining more weight, or am I setting a pattern of behaviour I won't be able to undo.

Thanks everyone. You all have helped me so much in the week that I have had this little one.

Yes I would continue to feed him any way he will eat to regain strength , he will get into the right eating habit when he is well....((HUGS)) for the little guy...

And kudos to you for having the patience to sit there with him so he can eat. =) That takes a lot of time out of your day!

I'm sure glad to hear he's gained a bit of weight back. whew! i think millet is usually one of the easier things to get small ones interested in. does he like millet? it's also easy to stick on the bars near perches so he can have a nip here and there as he hangs out....

I agree -- feed him however you have to so he'll eat and get all better, and once he's well and feels good again, he'll probably figure out there's food in the bowls and eat whenever he feels like it, inside his cage, too. Maybe it's a comfort thing, to eat from his washcloth. Whatever it takes to get the baby all hale and hearty!

I agree, feed him however it works. If he will eat outside of the cage, that is great. He will eventually learn to eat his food in the cage, but for right now, try "whatever works".

I agree with Majj. Also try putting a washcloth in his cage with food on it to help switch him over. Then eventually you can do away with that and put the food in a bowl on the floor of the cage then eventually put the dish up higher.